Kids do the darndest decorating

I should hire some little girls..........a couple little sweetpeas did some re-decorating while their mommies shopped this week.

I know you can't tell a whole lot about this photo, so I'll explain it. The background is an old enamel table top, and the price tag in the middle is for it. I'm using it beside the counter as a way to display magnets. While mommy paid for her purchases, her girl kept herself busy rearranging the magnets. Note how neatly she arranged them around the price tag.

The next day, another little girl disappeared in a corner while mommy and grandma browsed. When they called for her to leave, she came walking out from that corner, pushing an old baby doll carriage...in which she had placed a snowman...

I liked it so much that after they left, I just pushed it on out to the display windows. Come on...how cute is that?

Little boys have their moments too. A couple years ago, 2 young boys were doing lots of giggling while their mom's were at the cash register with their backs to their son's antics. I was watching them out of the corner of my eye, and could tell they weren't doing anything serious, but I knew they had indeed done something.

I discovered their mischief the next morning. They had taken all the little resin birds off a table, and put them in a bird cage. Well duh, where else should little birds be?

I very much enjoy the children who come in. Most are well behaved - getting the stern warning from the adults who are with them..."DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!!!"

And I have to smile to myself when the little ones look up at mommy or daddy and say, "How come YOU can touch stuff?"

I've been lucky - I hear stories of how destructive kids can be in stores, but I've had very little trouble with that. There was one group of middle school age girls who shoplifted (religious items!). And the little boy who suddenly threw up all over the carpet in front of the counter (which explains why there's a rug there now - the stain didn't come out!).

But overall, the kids who come in are great. This past week I've been giving leftover mini pumpkins away to the kids. I love to see their face light up when they hold their very own pumpkin, and it's just the right size for their little hands.